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Redesigned Sentra set for Dallas debut: Autoweek TV

Also in this episode: BMW diversifies into high-end computer mouses, and Kia dusts off the Ham-stars for a new advertising campaign.

TRANSCRIPT

-- Nissan takes the cover off the redesigned Sentra.

-- You can buy a new BMW for just $100.

-- And the Kia Ham-stars are back!

I'm Jake, teeing up some car news to help kick off the college football season this Labor Day weekend. Let's get going:

Nissan is using this weekend's Alabama-Michigan game in Dallas as the stage for a first look at the new Sentra. The redesigned Sentra picks up a number of styling cues from the new Altima that just went on sale a couple months ago. That includes the character lines that curve over the front wheels and flows down the sides of the car. Under the hood is a new 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 130 hp. If you take the base car you can get a six-speed manual transmission. Otherwise, you get a CVT. Nissan says the car can get up to 40 mpg on the highway and will have combined city/highway fuel economy of 34 mpg. It arrives in showrooms this fall.

Interested in a BMW? Now you can wrap your hand around one for about $100. Of course, it's not a car. BMW's Designworks USA unit worked with Thermaltake to create a computer mouse for high-tech gamers. This thing is definitely high-tech. It's made from aluminum, has a flow-through design to keep your hand cool, and there are 11 buttons that you can program. Color choices are black, white, green and red.

Finally, the bunch of furry rodents that put the Kia Soul on the map are back with a new commercial for the small crossover. You can watch the whole ad at the link on this page. Here's a small sample. If you force us to describe it, we'd try "classical techno meets Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure."

And that means its time to head out for a long holiday weekend.

There will be racing in NASCAR and IndyCar, and the Formula One crew is back from a month-long vacation to race in Belgium. Keep up with all the action at autoweekracing.com.

We'll be back on Tuesday. Get out there, say goodbye to summer and enjoy the drive.